Hanging with the Big Boys
by melzabelza
Summary: Liz is the new member of the WWE set crew, she is calling the shots and not all the men are happy about taking orders from a pint sized woman. She has made an instant impression on one member of the roster, he is just waiting for the right time to make his move.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 - Big Girl Pants

Elizabeth Micelli was used to playing with the big boys so she wasn't sure why she was so nervous. It was her first day on the job as the head lighting and sound technician for the WWE. Her resume was impressive and she passed the series of interviews with the corporate types with flying colors. The person she was replacing was even willing to stay on for two weeks and show her the ropes. She took a deep breath, squared her shoulders and walked into the arena.

It looked like the set techs were the only ones there this early; all of the on screen talent were still training or hanging out by catering. Liz easily located the group of men she was supposed to be joining.

"Excuse me, I am looking for Joe Andres." A big burly man with a headset and a clip board looked her up and down, focused his eyes on her chest and said "Sorry honey, we don't let ring rats hang around the equipment."

Honey?! Ring rat?! Oh hell no. "Actually, sweet cheeks, I'm the new lighting and sound tech and Joe asked me to meet him here to go over the setup process."

The other men struggled to stifle their laughs as she felt someone come up behind her. "Is there a problem here Ted?" she heard a familiar voice ask. Two enormous hands were on her shoulders and she realized that it was the COO Paul Levesqu, aka Triple H. "Not all sir, I was just telling this um..."

Paul cut him off "This ring rat is your new boss. Her name is Elizabeth Micelli." He turned to her and said "Liz, Joey will be with you in a few. In the meantime, let me introduce you to the rest of the crew."

The night went off without too much more drama. Ted was still a jackass, but Joe and the rest of the men on the crew were professional and friendly. Liz was used to it, there weren't many women in her field and she could divide most of the men she worked with into two categories - They were either like Jackass Ted or they accepted her and treated her just like any other coworker. Rumor had it there was a third type of guy - the kind that would see Liz as a woman and a companion, one that would respect her and love her. But she had yet to come across that kind of man, she figured he was busy hanging with the Loch Ness Monster or Big Foot.

After she helped the crew break down the set, Liz joined Joe and a couple of the other techs at a nearby diner for some comfort food. Over a massive platter of chili cheese fries, Joe and guys gave Liz all the advice she would need to get through all the live events, the travelling and on how to deal with Jackass Ted. Apparently, it wasn't just her, Ted was a jackass to everyone. They also promised to introduce her to some of the wrestlers, she would have to start working more closely with them as soon as Joe left.

Liz didn't even notice that some of the wrestlers had been eating at the same diner. One man noticed her and had been noticing her since she walked into the arena. He couldn't take his eyes off her, he memorized every inch of her body. She was short, he guessed her to be about five feet tall, long black hair which she had tied into a ponytail that swayed when she walked, chocolate brown eyes and curves that a man could spend his whole life memorizing. He couldn't wait to place his hands on her hips and suck on her ample breasts, he already had a long list of things he wanted to do with her. It wouldn't be easy to get her alone as long as she was still training with Joey, he would have to bide his time and hope that she didn't choke out Ted and get herself fired.

The men wouldn't allow Liz to pay her share of their midnight snack, they said it was a "Welcome to the Crew" party and not to get used to it. She thanked them and downed the rest of her diet Pepsi as she followed them all back to the hotel. She could swear she felt someone staring at her, but when she turned around, she couldn't see anyone.

He was lying in bed wide awake, usually after Raw he would grab some food from the closest open restaurant and make it back to his hotel room and pass out cold as soon as his head hit the pillow. But not tonight, he kept thinking about her. Liz, he heard Paul introduce her as Liz, she smiled and shook hands with everyone. But Paul didn't introduce her to him, no, he stopped once she had met all of the set crew – lighting, pyro, sound and camera men, apparently he didn't think she needed to meet any of the wrestlers yet. Everything about her was amazing – her smile, her eyes, and the way she filled out that uniform. She had to wear the same black cargo pants and black polo shirts as the rest of the crew members, cargo pants never looked so sexy to him before. He had to find a reason to talk to her, he was sure he wasn't the only man who noticed her and he didn't really want to have fight off any of his coworkers. He pictured the entire male roster standing outside her door with bouquets of flowers. He sighed as he remembered how her ass moved as she ran out the door of the diner. Just picturing that was making him hard, how could a woman he hadn't even met yet have this much of an effect on him?


	2. All Work and No Play

Chapter 2 – All Work and No Play

Liz had 2 Raws, 2 SmackDowns, a pay per view and 6 house shows under her belt. Joe and Paul decided she was ready to fully take over. She even did the last SmackDown by herself, Joe was there watching her, but he didn't say a word or offer any help. They had a small retirement celebration for him at a tiny dive bar near the hotel, Joe would fly home in the morning to spend the next chapter of his life playing golf and babysitting his grandkids. Liz was happy for him, he was a great guy and he deserved to spend time with his family, but she wasn't sure she was ready to handle all this testosterone by herself. Yeah, the crew followed orders when Joe was around, but would they be as willing to work with her when he was gone?

She felt like someone was staring at her again, she got that feeling a lot lately. But whenever she looked around she never saw anyone. Sometimes Jackass Ted would be glaring at her, but this was different. She scanned all the faces in the bar, the whole set crew was there, so were Paul and Stephanie, the announce team, and a lot of the wrestlers. It seemed like Joe was a really popular guy. Liz wasn't totally comfortable with a lot of the people here so she just milled around the outskirts of the crowd slowly sipping her diet Pepsi.

"Seriously man, what the hell is wrong with you? She isn't even talking to anyone, just go over there and say hi or something!"

"I don't know what you are talking about. Talk to who? Did Randy kick you a little too hard tonight?" Was he that obvious about it? If Daniel noticed, then what if she noticed too? She would think he was creepy.

Brie rolled her eyes and sighed, "Daniel's right. Why are you sitting here gawking at her? There are hundreds of women who are dying to get in your trunks, its not like you are a some fat, creepy guy."

"Fat, no… but creepy? Probably!" he joked as he sipped his own diet Pepsi. They didn't think his little joke was funny. Sure, he talked to Liz a bunch of times over the last two weeks. He chatted with her as they went over his entrance, he stood on line with her to buy coffee the other day (she liked hazelnut with milk and sugar) and he made sure to run into her at catering. She was so sweet but he felt self-conscious, it wasn't like he'd never talked to a girl before. He would talk to her now, he could break the ice by bringing her another soda. He got up to head to the bar and when he looked around for her, she was gone. Great, he missed his chance.

Liz wasn't much of a partier, she never liked hanging out in bars and she caught a lot of grief for not drinking. She started lying and telling people that she had rum in her soda but then well-meaning people would grab her another drink and it would reek of rum and she'd have to find a discrete way of getting rid of it to avoid hurting their feelings. So, now she just always got her own drinks, people thought she was being a paranoid little girl, she let them believe that she was concerned about someone slipping something in her drink, but she really just didn't feel like getting into another conversation about why she preferred her drinks to be alcohol free.

She sighed as she stripped out of her uniform and got into a hot shower. She just wanted to read a book and relax before she was officially in charge of the entire set crew. If she was in charge, maybe she could fire Jackass Ted, that would certainly make her popular with the rest of the crew. She also wished she could figure out who was staring at her all the time, she was positive that she wasn't being paranoid, it had to be one of the wrestlers. With her luck, it would be Mark Henry…

He was still kicking himself for being a dumbass. And his friends weren't much help either, they kept pointing out all the missed opportunities. All the times he could have asked her out for coffee or for lunch or dinner or just dragged her into a dark corner and kissed her (that was Randy's idea, but he was pretty sure that Liz carried pepper spray). He would talk to her in the morning, he knew she would head down to the hotel lobby at some point to get coffee so he would just do his creepy stalker thing and wait for her.

Liz was running late, she threw on a clean uniform and shoved all her things into her suitcase and ran her sorry ass to the arena. Great, her first day in charge and she had to oversleep, she didn't even have time to grab a cup of coffee from the hotel lobby. The production meeting started 5 minutes ago and she was sure Paul wasn't going to be happy with her tardiness.

She burst into the room, breathing heavy, Paul looked up at her and chuckled, "you aren't the only late one, don't worry about it." She sighed and collapsed into the chair next to him, everyone else in room was shocked, she wasn't sure why no one would sit next to him, he was a big giant teddy bear in real life, he wasn't anything like his on screen character. But, then again, no one else knew that she had known Paul for years, she met Stephanie when they were both in college and they were very close friends. They opted to keep that little nugget of information a secret, Liz knew she earned this position and that Stephanie's friendship had nothing to do with it, but not everyone else would agree if they found out.

The meeting ran smoothly, she had to meet with some of the divas and plan their entrance since they would be coming out together for a tag match, she needed to find the Miz and go over placement for his Miz TV set and she needed to talk to CM Punk, would he be doing his promo from the TitanTron stage or the ring? She needed to know where to tell the crew to set up the lights.

The divas were giving her a hard time, they didn't like the fact that they had to share their entrance time. Liz didn't blame them, but it really wasn't her fault, she just wanted to get it all squared away so that she could head over to catering and finally get a cup of coffee. She needed some caffeine in her system soon or she wouldn't make it until start time.

She was making notes on her clipboard when a tattooed hand put a large Dunkin' Donuts cup in her face. "You looked like you could use one of these," she looked up and saw CM Punk. Perfect timing, she needed to talk to him about the show tonight and she desperately needed that coffee. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply before taking her first sip, "mmmmm, hazelnut, how did you know?"

Because I have been stalking you for the last two weeks, Punk said to himself, but out loud he said "oh you know, I noticed that was what you ordered the other day." She smiled at him and thanked him a hundred different ways and promised to return the favor. He'd buy her coffee every single day just to see her enjoy her first sip, that was enough to get his cock jumping in his shorts. Good thing he didn't have his gear on or she would have noticed how happy he was that she enjoyed her coffee.

Of course, she wanted to get down to business and go over the placement for the lights and cameras for his promo. They got everything done quickly and were chatting when she saw the Miz go by. "Oh! Miz! Wait, I need to talk to you now!" She jumped up and turned back to him "Thanks again for the coffee Punk, I owe you!"

He was about to tell her to call him Phil when she ran off after the Miz. He was determined to catch up with her after the show.


	3. WTF?

Liz was a nervous wreck the whole day, she hid it well though and no one suspected that she wasn't calm, cool and totally in control. Raw was almost over, if everything went perfectly, maybe tomorrow's TV taping would be less stressful. They broke for commercial right before the main event when it happened. The TitanTron went dark and all the mics went dead.

"What the fuck?!" Liz was screaming into her headset, directing people on things to check. Less than three minutes later everything was back on. Liz blew out a sigh of relief, Sam, one of the rookie techs, was the one who found the mistake. He pulled Liz aside and told her what had happened. This was no accident.

Liz was holed up in the production trailer with Paul and the rest of the crew. He was furious, and she couldn't blame him. He was screaming and ripping into everyone on the team. Liz stood up and took the blame, it wasn't directly her fault, but she was in charge, she should have checked over everything.

Paul finally dismissed the rest of the team but barked at her to stay behind. A few of her crew members looked worried, poor Sam looked like he was going to cry, but Jackass Ted was grinning like the Cheshire Cat. As soon as everyone was gone Paul put his hand on her shoulder and said "Ok Lizzie Liz, tell me what really happened."

Liz smiled, she always did when he called her by the nickname that his little girls came up with for her. "I dunno, Paul. There was no way that was an accident. Even Sam could see what was wrong. Someone had to do it on purpose."

Paul leaned back and loosened his tie, "Anyone know where Ted was at the time?"

She shrugged, "Dunno, I didn't see him at all, I figured he was in his assigned location. I didn't want to let on that I suspected this was deliberate, figured someone would blab eventually."

He nodded his head, "Good plan, we'll all keep our ears open." He gave her a hug, "Now get out of here and make it look like I ripped you a new asshole."

"You got it boss!" It wouldn't be hard to look upset, she was furious that someone was trying to make her look bad.

Punk was waiting for Liz outside her hotel room, he felt awful about what had happened. The rumor mill was in full force and it sounded like Paul was really hard on her. He also heard that she was cursing like a sailor over the headsets, he wished he could have heard that! "Hey, Liz! You ok?"

Liz was surprised to see Punk outside her room. She sighed, "Not really, I am wicked pissed."

"Any idea what happened?"

Could she trust him? Maybe she was being setup, maybe it wasn't Jackass Ted... "I think so, not totally sure yet. Tomorrow we will run tests on every single piece of equipment."

"Wanna grab something to eat? Maybe a little venting will make you feel better?"

"I really appreciate the offer, but I am wiped out. Paul just ripped me a new one and Jackass Ted is running his mouth about how this is what you get when you let a woman do a man's job. I just want to take a hot shower and crawl into bed"

He suspected that she would turn him down, Liz didn't look like the type who needed a manly shoulder to cry on. "I understand, maybe some other time. If there is anything I can do, let me know."

"Yeah, sure. I will thanks" Liz turned to open the door to her room and watched Punk walk away. He couldn't be part of it, could he? Maybe he really did just want to be friends. It felt like he was holding something back though...

Punk threw himself on his bed in his room. He was frustrated, he finally manned up and asked Liz out and she turned him down. It had to be his timing, if only he hadn't been such a twit and asked her out the night before, then maybe he would be in her room right now helping her rub soap all over her delicious body. He picked up his phone and dialed Amy, even though they broke up, they were still really close friends, maybe she could tell him if he blew it or just needed to try again when Liz wasn't so stressed out.

* * *

Liz was up bright and early and in the arena with coffee, bagels and donuts for her crew. She felt guilty making them check equipment that she knew was perfectly fine, but maybe she could catch someone bitching... Sam was the only one who knew that what happened last night wasn't caused by faulty equipment, she was almost positive that he was on her side, he was just too much of a sweetheart to be the bad guy. Besides, what did he have to gain from her getting fired?

The crew spent hours going over everything and as she expected, they found nothing out of sorts. Jackass Ted was openly cursing Liz and anyone on the crew who appeared to agree with her, which, she was shocked to say, seemed like everyone except Ted. Every single one of them was embarrassed by what happened last night, no one was going to let it happen again. Since everything was already set up and some of the wrestlers were going over the matches in the ring, Liz told everyone to take an hour to relax before the show.

Liz was antsy. She decided to do one last walk thru before she went to get something to eat. She noticed a cable hanging a little too low near the stage area. It wasn't something that would be seen on the camera, but it wasn't where it was supposed to be, so it needed to be fixed. It was too high for her to reach, but any of the guys could easily fix it. She looked around but since her crew was excellent at following orders, they were all long gone.

Liz sighed and cursed her lack of height, stupid genes. She grabbed a ladder and set it up on the concrete floor next to the crash pads. She tested the ladder to make sure it was safe to climb up. It was poor ladder safety to climb up without anyone spotting you, but Liz figured it was no big deal. No one was around and the floor was perfectly flat. "Come on Lizzy", she thought, "Just get your ass up there, fix the wire and then you can go get yourself a latte."

She was on the second step from the top and almost had the cable tucked away when the ladder suddenly started swaying. What the fuck? How was this happening? She looked down and saw someone wobbling the ladder. She held on as tight as she could, but she knew it wouldn't be good enough. She let out a blood curdling scream.


	4. Totally Not An Accident

Chapter 4 - Totally Not an Accident

Punk was working with some of the new call ups in the ring when he heard her scream. He turned around and felt his heart stop, Liz was on a ladder and she was about to fall. He called for someone to get Doc Sampson and ran to Liz, she screamed again and then everything happened in slow motion. They all froze and watched helplessly as Liz went crashing to the ground.

Everyone ran towards Liz in a panic, but no one noticed the one person running in the opposite direction...

She was dead, there was no doubt about it, Liz knew she was dead. A bright, white light, they weren't kidding you really do see a light when you are dying. Was she supposed to go towards the light? Or away from it? Then she heard voices, they were all calling her name, they sound really upset, well at least people are upset over the fact that she was dead. Wait, maybe she isn't dead... Liz forced her eyes open, she saw Punk hovering over her, then she heard Paul and Punk was gone "Hey... come back!" she thought. Punk's face was replaced by Doc Sampson's, he was telling her not to move her head, yeah, no problems there buddy. They were loading her onto the back board, "No!" she gasped, "Please, I am fine, really, I don't want to go to the hospital."

Just then Stephanie appeared out of nowhere, "Lizzie! I am riding with her, come on people, let's get her to the hospital!"

"No, Steph, please." She begged her friend not to let them take her to the hospital, bad things happened in hospitals.

"Lizzie, we have no choice, you need X-rays and an MRI. You could have a spinal injury."

It's not like she could have fought them, she was strapped to the board and loaded on a stretcher. Doc pushed everyone away and got Liz loaded into the ambulance. Everyone was so loud and they were pushing her so fast, Liz's mind was spinning. She closed her eyes and hoped it would all be over soon.

Punk was a mess, his hands were shaking and he kept seeing the fear in Liz's face as they loaded her onto the stretcher. Everyone else was shaken up too, even Jackass Ted. They were all questioning why Liz would go up on a ladder by herself. Sam was actually crying, he should have stayed behind, he should have helped Liz, he could have reached that cable easily.

Paul was by the stage area with the local cops. Shit was going down, there was no way this was an accident, the floor was flat, there was nothing wrong with the ladder, someone was after Liz. And his wife was alone at the hospital with her. He sent his head of security over to the hospital while he watched as they dusted the ladder for fingerprints.

All WWE employees went through a background check before they were hired and that included fingerprints. He called Vince and told him to get all their personnel records sent over to the police station. He hated the idea that one of his people was responsible for this, but he knew security wouldn't let random people wander around the arena before the show started.

Liz was finally alone in her hotel room, she managed to convince Stephanie and Paul that she was fine and just needed to rest. It felt like she was in the hospital for a week, but it was only a few hours. She was one lucky woman and she knew it. There was something about the whole incident, something important, but she couldn't remember what it was. It was driving her crazy. Her brain was all foggy, they must have given her some kind of pain killer in the ER. Dammit!

Punk tore through the hotel looking for anyone who would have an update on Liz. Where was Doc? Paul? Security? He couldn't find anyone. He saw that kid from the set crew nursing a cup of hot chocolate in the lobby. What the hell was his name again? "Yo! Kid!"

Sam looked up and was scared shitless to see CM Punk coming towards him, "You hear anything about Liz? Where is she?"

Punk felt bad that he scared the kid, but at least now he knew that Liz was ok and was in her hotel room. He knocked on her door and hoped that she was still awake. "Coming! Just a minute, I'm kinda slow right now!"

She opened the door and he was stunned, how could someone who just fell off a ladder and spent five hours in the emergency room look so hot? She was wearing pink and lime green plaid pajama pants and a white tank top. Oh, god she wasn't wearing a bra, don't be creepy, stop staring at her chest! She stepped aside to let him in and turned to hobble back to the bed. Her back was already turning purple, it's amazing she was even able to walk.

"Liz! I can't believe they let you leave so soon. How do you feel?" He wanted to punch himself in the throat, that was a stupid question, she obviously felt like shit.

Liz rolled her eyes at him, what was he even doing here? "I feel like I fell off a ladder, dumbass." He flinched, that was bitchy, he came to see how she was, she shouldn't be mean, "I'm sorry, that was bitchy."

"No, it's ok, it was a stupid question." He scratched the back of his head, "So, um, do you need anything? Something to eat? Coffee?"

"Actually, some juice would be nice. They gave me some kind of pain killer and my mouth feels like cotton."

She was laying on her bed sipping her juice and Punk was sitting next to her. "Thanks, I owe you twice now." He shook his head, "Nope. This one doesn't count, only an asshole would say no to you right now." And only an asshole would be staring at her chest, he could see the outline of her nipples and he was dying to see how hard he could make them.

Liz finished her juice and looked at Punk, "That wasn't an accident you know," she said "I saw something right before I fell and I can't remember what it was. I just know it was important."

He wasn't surprised, the cops wouldn't be hanging around that long for a simple accident. "Tell me everything you do remember and maybe we can figure it out together."

Over an hour passed and Liz was having a hard time keeping her eyes open, they went over everything they both remembered seeing and nothing was jogging her memory. "You should really get some sleep, can I get you anything else?"

"No thanks, Punk, you've been so much help tonight." She looked so cute when she was sleepy.

"Alright then, goodnight Liz. Oh and by the way, you can call me Phil."

Liz gave him a sleepy little grin, "OK Phil! Sweet dreams!"

He would have sweet dreams, sweet dreams of her gorgeous breasts in that tank top. He should probably take a cold shower before going to bed.


	5. On the Sidelines - Ch5

Liz was furious! The doctors agreed that she needed at least a week to rest, even though nothing was broken, there was enough bruising that travelling would have made her wish that something was broken. There was no way she could sit in a bus or on a plane for hours at a time. They also decided that she couldn't be alone, apparently, she needed a caretaker. And that's how she wound up in a top of the line luxury SUV with Stephanie heading back to Greenwich and Joe was back in charge of her crew. She hated having to turn her crew back over to Joe, she was making progress and most of the boys finally respected her.

"You know Steph, you totally blew our cover by coming with me to the ER."

"What? I was just looking out for the safety of one of my employees."

"Paul said you ran through the arena screaming 'Oh my god, my Lizzie!'"

"Sorry Lizzie. All I heard was that you fell from a ladder and you weren't moving. I was scared! No, terrified! You could have been paralyzed!"

Liz rolled her eyes, Stephanie was always good at being dramatic, it must be in the McMahon blood, "You sound like you are cutting a promo. Seriously though, you know its not that easy to get rid of me."

"I really am sorry, Liz. But I think its safe to say that you've proved yourself more than qualified. The crew really respects you."

"Yeah, except for Jackass Ted," Liz grumbled. There was something nagging her brain though, a mental image she couldn't quite make out.

They pulled into the driveway in front of the massive Levesque residence and three of the most adorable little girls came running out to swarm their mommy. Liz dragged her aching body out of the passenger seat and the three girls screamed her name. "Yay! Aunt Lizzie Liz! Can I braid your hair? Can we play Barbies? No, me first, I wanna play with Aunt Lizzie!"

"Whoa, slow down there kiddos! I promise we will play this week but first, I need a nap. Aunt Lizzie has a gigantic boo-boo." Liz shuffled into the house, said hello to Linda (her honorary mommy) and collapsed in the guest room that had been her home away from home for the last few years.

* * *

Liz opened her eyes and realized that it was dark out, damn, the girls were probably in bed already. She stumbled down to the family room to look for Stephanie, at least she would have some time to catch up with her best friend. They settled down with some take out Mexican food and started swapping gossip. As usual, Stephanie was being healthy, she had a low fat, low carb burrito and Liz felt just a tiny bit guilty with her meaty, cheesy, greasy nachos. Hey, she went through a traumatic experience and everyone knows that the best way to heal from trauma is to stuff your face with meat and cheese. They were almost done eating when Stephanie asked, "So, what's the deal with you and Phil?"

Liz choked on a jalapeño, didn't she say no jalapeños? "Phil?" she gasped as she reached for her water. "Shit, Steph, these peppers are hot."

"Yes, Phil. You know, Phil? CM Punk? Don't play with me Lizzie!"

Liz was totally dumbfounded, "I have no idea what you are talking about. We are friends, we hang out sometimes, it's no big deal."

"Oh sweetie, you must be the only one who doesn't know."

"Know what?"

Stephanie looked at her friend, Liz wasn't holding back, she really had no idea. "He wants you Lizzie. He wants in your pants big time."

"Oh please Stephanie, if that were true, he would have made a move last night when we were in our hotel room. I mean, my boobs were practically falling out of my tank top."

Stephanie spit her wine across the table, "He was in your room last night?! Wow, he's got it bad. He's afraid to make the first move, Liz. Only an asshole would have made a move on you after the night that you had."

Liz stuffed her face with nachos as her friend kept talking, "You are going to have to make the first move."

Liz shook her head as she chewed and swallowed the last of her dinner, "No way Steph, first of all, we are just friends and we are both happy that way. Second of all, he's not my type. I don't do the whole tattooed, rock n' roll bad boy thing and you know it."

"Maybe its time to change your type, I mean, its not like you have the best track record with men who you claim are your type."

"OK, that was a low blow, I'm going back to bed. Thanks for the nachos."

"Give him a chance Liz!" Stephanie called after her, "He is a good man!"

* * *

Liz was lying in bed trying to focus on the book she was reading, it was one of those fluffy chick books, so far it was following the standard pattern, eventually the two main characters would fall in love and get married and live happily ever after. But Liz wasn't paying attention to the words on the pages, she was thinking about what Stephanie said. Did Phil really have a thing for her? Sure, not many people called him by his real name, but they were friends, it would be weird to call him by his ring name all the time. And so what if he knew how she liked her coffee, everyone knows how she likes her coffee.

She finally gave up on the book and grabbed her phone, she hadn't checked her messages since they left the hotel. There were countless messages from numbers she didn't recognize and one from Paul saying that a few people had asked for her phone number, he apparently had no problem giving it out.

One was from Sam – Liz! I can't believe it! Come back soon, please! – That kid was too cute, he was like a homeless puppy.

And Joe – Tough break kid. I'll hold down the fort until you get back.

Almost every one of her crew sent a message similar to either Sam's or Joe's, nothing from Jackass Ted, she guessed he was ecstatic over her absence, he was probably doing cartwheels down the halls. There was one last message, it was from Phil – Hey Liz, I'll miss you. Feel better soon, you still owe me a coffee!

She smiled and wrote back to all the messages from her crew, all that was left was Phil's message. How should she respond? What if Stephanie was right?

Punk was kicking himself over the stupid text message he sent Liz. It had been hours and she didn't respond. He still couldn't believe it would be a whole week until she would get back on the road. Then his phone buzzed.

"Hey Phil! Sorry, I was sleeping and turned my phone off. The car ride killed me."

He grinned, "No problem. Get some rest and feel better soon!"

"It would be easier to feel better if I had some ice cream! Nothing but health food in his place!"

Punk laughed, poor Liz, she loved ice cream almost as much as she loved coffee. The last time they watched a movie together, she polished off a whole carton of Cherry Garcia. "Awww, poor Lizzie. Stop thinking about food and get some sleep."

Lizzie? Had he ever called her that before? Probably, all her friends called her Lizzie… "Yes sir! I'm off to bed! Sweet dreams!"

"Sleep tight! Don't let the bed bugs bite!" He groaned, sweet dreams, yeah, all of his dreams were sweet lately, they were dreams of kissing her luscious body. Time for another cold shower…

Liz couldn't sleep at all, she couldn't get comfortable and her mind was racing. What was it about her not-an-accident that she couldn't remember? Was Stephanie right about Phil? Who would want to sabotage her? Did she want Stephanie to be right about Phil? The obvious answer was Jackass Ted, but maybe it was a little too obvious. No, Phil just wanted to be friends. Right? Her mind spun in circles until the sun came up, at least the girls would keep her mind occupied, she was sure she was up for a day of hair braids and nail polish.


	6. Baby Its Cold Outside

Liz was wiped, she hadn't been sleeping well, but she was medically cleared to return to work. She knew she owed it all to the fact that her best friend was filthy, stinking rich. Stephanie had a chiropractor visit the house on the first day and assess Liz's situation, the next day it was a physical therapist who taught Liz some simple stretches that she should do every morning and every night to prevent her muscles from tightening, she also gave her some emergency stretches she could do in the case of a muscle spasm. Then, finally, on the third day, Stephanie brought a masseuse and treated Liz to a one hour deep tissue massage. Yes, the doctors were a big help, but Liz was convinced that it was the massage that did the trick. She was at the airport waiting for a cab to take her to the hotel and decided to text Phil and see if he wanted to meet up for coffee before the show.

Punk was in the gym with Daniel, Randy and John, they had just finished their strength training workout when he heard his phone jingling from his bag. He raced over to dig it out with a goofy grin on his face and immediately started tapping back a reply. John looked at Punk and then looked over at his coworkers, he had just gotten back from elbow surgery and was way out of the loop. "She has a special ring tone," Daniel informed them all.

"Who has a special ring tone? Come on guys, catch me up to speed."

Randy rolled his eyes, "Joey's replacement, Liz, is one hot piece of ass and our boy Phillip here is obsessed with her, but is too much of a chicken shit to pin her to wall and shove his tongue down her throat."

"Because everyone knows the cave man approach is the best way to score a girlfriend." John resisted the urge to slap Randy upside the head, he was so inappropriate most of the time.

"Yeah, they are 'just friends' according to Liz who is either the world's biggest tease or the most clueless woman on the planet," Daniel said. "But, she knows her shit, its great having her running the set crew. Everything is perfect, every single night, she's a machine."

Punk grabbed his gym bag and headed for the showers, "Great work out guys, see you later on at the arena. Nice to have you back, John, these slackers were holding me back."

He was showered, dressed and standing outside the arena when Liz's taxi pulled up holding a large coffee for her, a diet Pepsi for himself and two chicken Caesar salad wraps. Liz paid the cab driver and he took her bags out of the trunk. Liz gave him a hug and then playfully slapped his arm, "I said I was going to get the coffee!"

They found a picnic table in the parking lot behind the arena and sat down to enjoy the fresh air while they ate their lunch. "So, tell me what I missed," Liz said.

Punk took a swig of his soda and said "Not much really, Joey came in and did what he always did, some of the guys were trying to keep up your routine, but he kept shooting them down. I'm not trying to suck up or anything, but you run a much tighter ship. The crew will be happy to see you back."

Liz grinned, turned out Stephanie was right about one thing, she did earn the respect of her crew. "I'm so relieved to hear that, I afraid I would have to start all over with the guys."

"Nah, they really like you, no one realized how unorganized Joey was until you took over, there is so much less stress behind the scenes now. It makes it easier for everyone in every department to focus on their jobs."

"So, is anyone saying anything about me being friends with Stephanie and Paul?"

"Yeah, at first, Jackass Ted had a field day with it, but once Joey came back and started bossing everyone around again, even he had to realize that you didn't get the job just because of them." Liz jumped up and hugged him again, just because she was so happy about what he had told her. He squeezed her back and took a deep breath, he forgot how good her hair smelled.

The crew was equally happy to have her back, there were some hugs, some high fives and a bunch of fist bumps, Jackass Ted even mumbled some sort of greeting to her. Joe filled her in on what was discussed at the production meeting and Liz took over, she reviewed the card for the night, noted special lighting and pyro requirements and started handing out assignments to the crew. Everyone jumped to work and they were done with more than enough time to do a walk through and a dry run for the audio.

* * *

Liz was sleeping like a baby for the first time since "the ladder incident" when an ear piercing siren jolted her awake, she heard people running through the halls and poked her head out to see what was going on. A security guard grabbed her arm and told her they had to evacuate the hotel, Liz grabbed her room key and stepped into the hallway before she realized that she was barefoot and braless. She tried to turn back into her room when the guard grabbed her arm and said "Sorry, miss, everyone has to get out now," and shoved her towards the stair well. She grumbled some unfriendly words under her breath when her bare feet hit the cold cement stairs and wrapped her arms around her chest as she followed the rest of the hotel guests.

Punk was pacing in the parking lot when he finally saw her, she was sitting on the curb with her arms wrapped around her knees. He hurried over to her "Jeez, Liz, you don't even have socks on!"

She shivered, "I know! I tried to go back and get socks and a sweater but security practically pushed me down the stairs. What's going on here anyway?"

"Bomb threat," he said just as he realized that being barefoot wasn't her biggest problem, it got cold out and Liz was just wearing that thin tank top she liked to sleep in. Punk realized just how cold she was, shed his hoodie and wrapped it around Liz's shoulders. He was suddenly jealous of everyone who walked by, assuming they were all drooling at her nipples poking through her skimpy shirt.

"Thanks," she said as she put her arms through the sleeves, "So bomb threat? Does this happen a lot?"

He shrugged, "Often enough, its probably some nut job fan who wants to get everyone out here so they can take pictures and beg for autographs. But, they have to go through every room and make sure." He sat down on the curb next to her and she rested her head on his shoulder, she was worried that the cold air would trigger a muscle spasm and her feet were so cold. It felt like they were outside for hours, Liz dozed and Punk protectively wrapped his arm around her shoulders when she shivered again.

They were finally allowed to go back inside and Liz was chilled to the bone, Phil walked her back to her hotel room and she tried to return his hoodie. "No, Lizzie, you keep it, I have a million of them. Get back under the covers and warm up."

"I don't think I'll ever warm up, even my ass is cold," she whimpered as she opened the door to her room. Great, now he was thinking about all the ways he could warm up her delicious little ass, as if the image of her cold nipples wasn't enough to keep him up all night.


	7. Just Friends

Aside from the faux bomb scare, the next two weeks went without incident, they passed through a different town every night and now Liz was looking forward to the off day. It was already noon and she had just rolled out of bed when her cell phone rang. She looked at the caller ID and answered "Hey Phil!"

"Hey Lizzie, so I need a favor," He was nervous, maybe this wasn't the best idea, but there was no turning back now that he had her on the phone.

"I'm fine, thanks for asking. And how are you today Philip?" Liz giggled picturing him rolling his eyes when she called him Philip. "Sure, what can I do for you?"

Oh, the things you can for me… "I have this charity party Paul signed me up for, wanna be my date?"

"Um, sure, but, if you are going to represent the WWE, don't you have to bring one of the Divas with you?"

"Really, Lizzie, I am CM Punk, I can bring whoever I want, and I want to bring you."

"Anything for you, Mr. Punk!"

"Great, I'll pick you up at 7. Text me your room number."

"OK. But, wait! What should I wear?"

"I'm not up to date on current women's fashion trends, I'll be wearing a suit, if that helps."

"Not really, but thanks. I'll see you at 7 then." Liz hung up and scowled at her phone, she couldn't just throw on a suit and she didn't exactly have any party clothes in her suitcase, it was mostly uniforms, jeans and some tshirts. She would have to go shopping, she hated shopping, the things a girl will do for her friends… She grabbed Phil's hoodie and set off to go shopping for party clothes.

Liz sighed as she wandered through the cute little boutique a few doors down from the hotel. She had no idea what she should wear to this thing. She was staring a cute sparkly top thinking about how long it would take before her cleavage popped out when she heard someone calling her name. "Hey Liz! You look stressed out."

She looked up and saw Renee Young holding some of the same cute little tops that her stupid boobs could never fit into. "Yeah, Phil asked me to go to some charity thing with him tonight and I have no idea what to wear."

"Really? That's so cool, I'm going with Sami. So, things with Punk are going well then, huh?"

"You are going too?" Liz was so relieved, "Can you help me pick something out? Oh, and you know that we are just friends, so stop being so silly."

"But you are wearing his hoodie."

Renee was seriously adorable, "Well, if that's the case, then half the roster is dating Antonio Cesaro, every time I turn around I see someone wearing his shirt." Renee scrunched up her face and she realized how bad that sounded, Jeez Lizzie, think before you speak. "I'm sorry, I'm just stressed out about this party, I hate shopping and it's even harder to shop alone. Are you still willing to help me?"

"Of course, silly, but to be honest, I hope you weren't planning on buying that top," she pointed to the little sparkly thing in Liz's hand, she couldn't help it, she started laughing and shaking her head, "Oh my god, of course not, my boobs would never fit in this!"

It took an entire hour, but with Renee helping her it wasn't nearly as painful as Liz was expecting, in fact, it was almost fun. They finally picked out an adorable pink strapless dress for Renee, it was long and had a slit up the side that was borderline scandalous, but it looked perfect on her. After Liz finally came to grips with the fact that she would have to wear a dress, Renee picked out a cocktail length dress in a stunning shade of royal blue, it had a modest halter top that Liz was 99% sure her boobs wouldn't fall out of. On a normal sized woman, it would have been a mini skirt, but since Liz was so short it was the perfect length. Just as they parted ways Renee reminded her that she still needed to pick up some dressy shoes. Crap, dress shoes, Liz lived in sneakers for at least the last five years, she wasn't looking forward to squeezing her poor feet into high heels.

Liz found a cute pair of strappy sandals with a kitten heel, at least she wouldn't break an ankle, but wow, her feet looked hideous. She couldn't believe she was about to admit it, but she needed a pedicure. Dammit, Phil totally owed her for this.

* * *

It was almost 7:00, Punk was standing outside her hotel room having a minor panic attack. He ran into Sami at the gym and of course, Renee had told him about how Liz freaked out when she suggested that they were an item. But to make matters worse, Renee thinks that Liz is just in denial and that she is really in love with him. What the hell was he doing? Was Randy right? Should he just kiss her and see what happens? He knew Liz, he knew that she needed to be in control, if he did that, he would lose her trust and then he'd never stand a chance.

Liz was staring at the tiny purse that Renee convinced her to buy, how the hell was she supposed to fit anything in it? Room key, driver's license, credit card, cash, lip gloss, breath mints, there was no way it would all fit in there. She was just about to squeeze the little sucker closed when the knock on her door startling her and she dropped the whole thing on the floor. She sighed; at least Phil was on time.

She opened the door and was stunned, Phil was wearing black suit pants, a light blue dress shirt with a bold blue tie and he had his suit jacket draped over his arm. Wow, he looked good enough to eat, what the hell, Lizzie, get it together, you see him every single day in his wrestling trunks, he is practically in his underwear half the time, he is completely dressed in a suit for a formal party, now stop drooling over your best friend. "Wow, you clean up nice. Come in while I grab my shoes and try to get all my junk in this tiny purse."

Punk knew she would look gorgeous all dressed up, but he wasn't prepared for her reaction to him being all dressed up. Was he imagining it? Was it wishful thinking? "Lizzie, you look beautiful," he said giving her a hug, "Don't worry about the bag, I'll put your room key and ID in my pocket, you won't need anything else."

Liz had a great time at the party, she usually hated things like this, but being with Phil made it so much more fun. No one bothered her about drinking soda, no one made any inappropriate comments, and she didn't have to wander around trying to make conversation with people she didn't know. Everyone gravitated to Phil and he took control of every conversation. Liz was proud that he asked her to be his date.

They were riding home from the party when Phil decided to ask a question that had been on his mind for a long time, "So, Liz, I um, I noticed you never drink alcohol at any of these parties."

Liz nodded, "Yeah, I made the decision a long time ago not to drink. Most people can't respect that."

He knew that feeling, "I know it's a personal choice, but I'm curious why." He glanced at her through the corner of his eye, she looked nervous, he couldn't imagine why, I mean, he was Mr. Straight Edge, everyone knew it, he would never judge someone for NOT drinking.

"Well, you see, I come from a long line of alcoholics. Both my grandfathers and my parents, they were functioning alcoholics, no one knew except the people who lived with them. Of course, I didn't make the connection until I was about 14 years old." She looked over at Phil, he looked distraught, she realized how bad it sounded. "Now, don't go thinking I was abused, they never hit me or anything like that, I mean, they were nasty and yelled a lot and sometimes they broke things, but they never touched me, I just knew when to hide in my room with the radio and a book to keep me company until whatever it was passed. I just don't want to be like them, that's all."

Punk parked the car in the hotel parking lot and pulled Liz into his arms. He hugged her as tightly as he could, "I'm sorry Lizzie, that must have been awful. You are a very strong woman. I respect you and I am honored that you chose to share this with me."

Liz relaxed against his body, realizing for the first time how good he smelled and how safe she felt in his arms. She had to remind herself, they were just friends and that's how they both wanted it to be. Right?


	8. Girls Night

Ever since that night of the party, Liz kept noticing things about Phil that made her swoon inside. Innocent things like his smile and how he always looked for her when he got to the arena and then the wicked sexy things like those hip dents and his biceps and the way he licked his lips when he was thinking. She couldn't deal with this, Phil was her friend, her best friend aside from Stephanie and she couldn't be having these inappropriate thoughts about him. She knew he didn't want anything more from their relationship because if he did he would have done something about it by now. She started avoiding spending time alone with him, it was just too hard to sit next to him on the couch in a dark hotel room watching a movie when her mind was occupied with images of his tongue on her body or her tongue on his body.

Punk was finally ready to admit that Liz just wasn't attracted to him, they were just friends, that's all it would be and he figured he could live without ever seeing her naked as long as she was still a part of his life. Then all of a sudden Liz kept coming up with excuses not to hang out after the shows or on their off days. Each excuse was perfectly plausible on its own – her back was bothering her, it was one of the crew member's birthdays, she had to stop and see Doc Sampson before the show – but when you added them all together, it was obvious that she was avoiding him, he just couldn't figure out why. She looked awful, she was pale and had dark circles under her eyes and he could tell she hadn't been eating.

Liz was sitting in the catering area with her head down on her arms, she missed being with Phil, but now that she realized she wanted more from him, it was too painful to just be friends. She was wallowing in self-pity when someone sat down next to her, she peeked up and saw that it was Renee. "Hey, Liz, you look like your dog just got hit by a car, what's wrong?"

Liz sighed, she wasn't going to spill her guts to Renee in the middle of catering with the entire roster and backstage crew wandering around. "I know exactly what you need! Girls night out!" Renee was practically bouncing in her seat, "I'll organize it, us, Nikki and Brie, Natalya, AJ and Kaitlyn, it will be sooooo much fun!"

"Oh no, Renee, I don't think so," Liz couldn't bear the thought of being in a club or a bar with all those gorgeous Divas. "Ok, then, girls night in! Pizza and ice cream and pajamas and chick movies, come on Liz, we'll have so much fun!" Oh, now that was even worse, she never talked to any of those women outside of work with the exception of Renee and now she would have to hang out in her pajamas with them? Awkward... She just sat there shaking her head, but there was no use even trying to talk Renee out of it "Fine, Renee, I'll be there. But there better be pepperoni on those pizzas…" The girl was so happy, she actually squealed, Liz just put her head back down and silently whimpered.

Punk watched the interaction between Liz and Renee, he wasn't sure what was going on, but it looked like Liz made a new friend, whether she wanted one or not. He sat down next to her and without looking up she said "Don't push it Renee, I already said I would go." She only picked her head up once he started laughing.

"Got a new BFF, huh, Lizzie?" She looked awful, it broke his heart, she really needed to eat. "There is a great Tex-Mex place a few miles from here, I'll treat you to some greasy nachos after the show."

"Phil, you know how much I love nachos, but I can't, Renee just planned a slumber party for me and is in the middle of inviting all the Divas. If I don't show up, she will hunt me down and drag me into her fluffy pink lair by my ankle." Phil looked over at Renee, she was deep in conversation with AJ and Kaitlyn, looks like Liz was right, she was screwed.

"My poor Lizzie," he said and placed a purely platonic kiss on her cheek, it was so innocent that it was practically brotherly. He got up to leave and wished her luck with her girly evening. Liz groaned and dragged her ass back to the production area, might as well get back to work.

* * *

Liz was standing outside Renee's room in her pajamas holding a bottle of diet Pepsi and a couple bags of chips, she figured since this "party" was organized to cheer her up, she might as well show up with snacks. She debated just going back to her own room and eating the chips herself, but she knew Renee would be so disappointed. Liz didn't have many friends, she couldn't afford to insult the few that she had just like she couldn't afford to fall in love with them…

Liz sat quietly and ate her pizza, Renee kept her promise and ordered one with pepperoni, and listened to the women talk about their matches, their training routines, their boyfriends/fiancés/husbands and how they were thinking of cutting their hair. Since Liz didn't wrestle or train or have a romantic partner and she always pulled her long black hair into a ponytail, there wasn't much she could contribute to the conversation, she smiled and nodded at all the appropriate places. But, at least she wasn't sitting in her room all alone.

Once all the pizza was devoured, Kaitlyn turned her attention to Liz and her boring black hair. "Your hair would look so cute with a purple streak in it." Liz grinned, that would be awesome, she always wanted to do something like that. They let her hair down and brushed it out, since her hair was so dark, they would have to bleach it before they could dye it. With everyone's help, they decided on a section underneath, it would be discrete but it would be noticeable when her hair was pulled up.

Kaitlyn was washing the dye from Liz's hair and Renee was watching, the others were painting their nails, god, this was so cliché. Finally Renee couldn't hold herself back anymore, "Alright Liz, its time. Spill it." Liz looked like a deer in headlights, Kaitlyn almost felt bad for her, Renee was not going to let her slip out of this one. "No, don't look at me like that, you've been moping around since that party, something happened that night, so spill it."

Oh, no, Liz wasn't falling for it, it would take more than pizza, ice cream and a little hair dye to get her to spill her guts to people she barely knew, wasn't going to blab about how she realized that Phil is the man of her dreams and he only interested in being friends. No way, it was too embarrassing, she wasn't going there, she hadn't even admitted it to Stephanie yet. "Oh you know, just homesick, I guess. Been on the road for a long time now."

"Lair," Renee said as she walked away, "Just for that, I am polishing your toenails pink."

"That's fine, no one sees my toes anyway!" Liz looked over at Kaitlyn, she had a weird look on her face. "What? Does my hair look funny now?"

"No, your hair is adorable but that was the worst lie I've ever heard. Something happened between you and Punk, you went from being besties to barely talking to each other. Everyone has noticed, we were hoping you'd trust us enough to talk about it."

Liz felt awful, "I appreciate it, really, I do, but I barely know you guys, I can't just spill my guts. Besides, its, I dunno, its complicated, I guess. Don't take it personally, please."

* * *

Liz was on her way back to her room in the morning with her purple hair streak and her hot pink manicure and pedicure when she literally walked right into Phil. "Looks like you survived your slumber party," he said as he hugged her.

"Yeah, it wasn't so bad, the girls were fun."

"Liz, I'm worried about you. We need to talk or something and soon. We'll be in Chicago next week, let me take you out to my favorite restaurant. Please?"

"Um, yeah, OK, sure." Liz couldn't even look at him, he still had his arms around her shoulders and they were walking towards her room.

He grinned, "Perfect. It's a date!"

A date? Like, with a good night kiss? Liz watched him walk away, admiring the view from the back. A date… "Don't get your hopes up Lizzie, he just wants to be friends."


	9. Chicago Made

Punk felt great after spending the night at home, he always slept better when he was in his own bed. Now he was up and dressed and picking up breakfast to bring to Liz. He was determined to find out what was bothering her and even more determined to get her to eat. He overheard Doc Sampson and Paul talking about her, OK, maybe overheard was putting it mild, to be honest, he was eavesdropping. They both noticed all the same things that he did, except they were jumping to the wrong conclusion, they thought she was hooked on pain killers from her fall. He knew better, he knew she wouldn't take the pills, in fact he was willing to bet his right arm that she didn't even bother filling the prescription. Of course, he couldn't tell them that because then they would know that he was standing there with his ear up against the door, they were planning on calling Liz in for a drug test.

A few minutes later, he was knocking on the door to Liz's hotel room, she opened the door and moved aside to let him in. He went to hug her, but she ducked away, "Sorry, I'm running late."

"Well, then it's a good thing I am here. I am saving you from having to stop for breakfast, I have for you the most delightful bacon and egg sandwich in all of Chicago and a very large cup of the finest hazelnut coffee to wash it down with." No matter how bummed she was, Punk knew that Liz would never be able to resist bacon, she smiled at him for the first time in weeks and sat down to eat her breakfast with him.

"OK, you are right, that was an awesome breakfast."

"This is the first time I've seen you eat in weeks, Lizzie. Doc thinks you are hooked on pain killers, come on, tell me what's bothering you."

Liz looked at Phil, his pretty green eyes were clouded with concern. She should tell him, but not now, she should have been at the arena by now. "I'm sorry, Phil. Tonight, over dinner, I promise." He pulled her in for a hug, she sighed, she really missed him, she squeezed him back and held on a little longer than she normally would. "Thanks for breakfast."

* * *

Turns out that Phil was right, as soon as she got to the arena Paul and Doc pulled her into the trainer's room. They only believed her when she pulled the prescription slip out of her bag, "See, I never even filled it. The only pain killers I took were the ones they gave me when I was too out of it to object." She had to go through the drug test anyway, she was a little hurt, Paul should know her better than that.

Liz focused on work, her crew was perfect, they hardly even needed directions from her anymore. She congratulated them on finishing the set up in record time and told them to take an hour to get something to eat. She made her way over to catering, she wanted to find Phil and thank him for the heads up about Doc, otherwise she wouldn't have thought to put the prescription in her purse. She saw Phil at the same time as Colt Cabana and Lita (no Amy, call her Amy) came in, she watched as Punk and Colt did that man hug thing and then Amy threw herself into his arms and gave him a very enthusiastic hug. Liz felt her stomach drop, she knew they had dated in the past, but she was pretty sure that they were just friends now. Apparently, they were really close friends, judging by that hug. Liz and Phil were friends, they hugged all the time, but not like that. She felt her eyes fill with tears, no, she couldn't cry here, she had to leave before anyone saw her.

Punk looked everywhere for Liz, he wanted his friends to meet her, he knew they would get along famously. When he finally found her, she was working with the camera crew and the sound guys on incorporating a last minute change into the card. He would have waited, but he didn't have time, he was the opening segment and he needed to get into his gear.

As soon as the show was over, Liz left the crew to break down without her, she hurried back to her hotel room before Phil could find her. She was so stupid, she was going to tell him that she liked him as more than just a friend and then there was Amy, hanging all over him in the backstage area all night long. She sent Phil a quick text message saying that her back was bothering her and she wouldn't be able to join them and then she turned her phone off.

Her mind was racing, Phil and Amy broke up, she remembered reading that, but maybe they didn't, I mean, just because its on the internet, it doesn't mean its true. She heard the talent complaining about that a lot, fans posting false information online or pretending to be them. It was creepy and sad at the same time. The only thing Liz could trust was what she saw with her own eyes, Phil and Amy were more than friends, Phil and Liz were simply just friends. She buried her face in her pillow and cried until she fell asleep.

* * *

Punk was still looking for Liz, that kid on the set crew said she had gone back to the hotel early, said she didn't feel good. Then he saw her text message, he immediately called her to make sure she was alright, but her phone went straight to voice mail. He didn't know what to do, she had promised to tell him what was bothering her tonight, but then she disappears as soon as the show ends. He went to dinner with Colt and Amy and some of the other guys, but he wasn't even hungry anymore, he kept calling her cell phone, he even called the hotel lobby and asked to be connected to her room, she didn't answer that either. "Come on, Phil, eat something, this is your favorite restaurant!"

He looked up and realized that everyone was staring at him. "Sorry guys, I'm just worried about Liz, she never shuts off her phone."

"Eat something and then stop by her hotel on your way home," Colt said, "she is probably just sleeping, didn't you say her back has been bothering her?"

"Yeah, but, still, she would never leave before the crew is done taking down the set, its not like her."

"Maybe she's jealous of Amy! She wants a little more Punk in her life!" one of his friends laughed.

"We are just friends, dude."

Amy shook her head, "No, what if he's right? What if she saw us together and got the wrong idea?"

* * *

Punk was sure that his friends were wrong, Liz thought of him as a friend and he had finally gotten over the heartache cause by that realization. He couldn't start thinking about her like that again. But, he also couldn't go home without knowing she was OK. He was standing outside her hotel room door pounding on it, "Come on Liz, let me in! I know you are in there! Open up! I'm not leaving until you open this door."

Liz was dreaming, she had to be, why else would Phil be pounding on her door at 2 AM? She pulled the pillow over her head until she realized that she wasn't dreaming, she was awake, and Phil was in fact pounding on her door. She jumped up and ran to let him in, something must be wrong, or he would have gone back to his place and would be in bed by now, probably in bed with Amy.

He was still pounding on the door when she pulled it open, she looked terrible, her eyes were all bloodshot and puffy and her hair was all tangled. He had woken her up, but he could tell that she had been crying before she fell asleep. He pushed his way into her room, closed the door behind him and pulled her into his arms.


	10. Finally!

He did it before he even realized what he was doing, he leaned down and he kissed her. As soon as his mind caught up to his body, he knew it was a mistake, he just ruined everything, Liz would never talk to him again. Just as he was about to pull away he felt Liz lean up into him and wrap her arms around his neck. She was kissing him back, her body was pressed up against his and she was actually kissing him back. He licked her bottom lip hoping she'd let him in, she sighed and parted her lips granting him access. He eagerly explored her mouth and he almost lost it when he felt her tongue against his.

Liz was stunned, Phil just walked into her room and kissed her. She didn't know what to expect when she heard him pounding on her door, she totally wasn't prepared for this! She was finally in his arms and her breath probably smelled like dead skunk. But it felt so right, it was perfect, his lips were soft and his body was warm, she wrapped her arms around him and stood up on her tippy toes and kissed him back. It was better than she dreamed it would be and then he licked her lip and she sighed, she actually sighed, how embarrassing. His tongue, oh god, his tongue made her forget all about her girly sigh and she ran her fingers through his hair and melted against him.

Phil broke the kiss after what could have been seconds or hours, he didn't know and he didn't care. Everything was right, Liz was in his arms, he was finally holding her and kissing her. He looked down at her and brushed her wild hair away from her face, her eyes were still puffy, it reminded him why he was there in the first place. "You scared the hell out of me Lizzie, you disappeared. You left the crew to break down alone, you shut off your phone. Why? What happened?"

Liz blushed, it seemed so childish now, she pulled away from him and sat down on the edge of her bed. "I'm sorry. I didn't think anyone would miss me for one night. I just needed to be alone. Of course, now, I know it was stupid."

"None of it matters? Liz you aren't making any sense, what has been bothering you? Why have you been avoiding me?"

She felt like terrible, Phil was so upset, she was being selfish and she hurt him. "It's just that, all of a sudden, I, everything changed. Being with you at that party made me realize that I didn't want to be just friends anymore, I wanted more and I thought you were content with the way things were between us. It hurt too much to be with you knowing that."

He couldn't believe what she was saying to him, he should have realized it when she hugged him that night, she lingered, she had touched him more that night than she ever did. He sat down next to her and sighed. "Lizzie, I've been dreaming about kissing you since the first day you showed up here. I tried everything I could think of to make you realize that, but you never did. So, finally, I accepted it, having you as a friend was better than not having you at all."

She just stared at him, "But, but… you never, all those times and you never… But, then Amy? I'm so embarrassed!"

"I didn't want to do anything that would make you uncomfortable. Amy and I broke up a long time ago, she is dating someone else now. She got carried away, its been a really long time since we saw each other."

She was looking down at her hands, he could tell that her mind was still racing after a few minutes she whispered, "Why tonight?"

He shrugged, he wondered that too, "I wasn't thinking, I just, I don't know." She looked up at him and he could see the tears in her eyes, he knew she was crying all night over him and he couldn't bear to see another tear slide down her face. He kissed her again, this time he didn't hold back, he put all of his feelings for her into that one kiss. She kissed him back with the same passion as they fell back onto the bed.

He was lying next to her twirling her hair in his fingers, her hair was so soft, and that purple streak, he loved it. "I should have kissed you months ago, Lizzie."

She laughed, "I probably would have punched you!"

He grinned, "I was more worried about that pepper spray you always carry with you." Before she could answer he smothered her lips and kissed her long and hard.

They spend the next few hours lying in bed wrapped in each other's arms – they kissed, they talked, they kissed some more until they fell asleep. All of a sudden Liz's alarm was going off and they were both reminded that they still had a show to put on. Phil didn't want to leave her, but he knew he had no choice, all of his gear was back at his apartment and he knew she had to get to the arena soon to start setting up. He kissed her again and promised to bring breakfast on his way back.

Liz was floating, she couldn't believe that all this time Phil was just waiting for a sign that she wanted more from their relationship. Nothing could ruin this day, today would be perfect.

* * *

He was tired of lurking in the shadows. He couldn't believe it was this hard to sabotage Liz. The entire crew fell for her, they did whatever she asked. Sam was the worst, he followed her around like a puppy hanging on her every word. He spent every night for the last month trying to find an opening but the crew was always around, they double and triple checked everything. "Oh Liz is so great, Liz is so organized, Liz is so smart, Liz cut an hour off our prep time, Liz, Liz, Liz…." It made him sick to his stomach. This little bitch was running his show, this was a man's job, she should be home popping out babies and cooking dinner.

He knew he was running out of time, the cops had pulled prints off the ladder and they would match them up to him sooner or later. Thank god they were in a small town that day, those country bumpkins probably didn't even know what to do with a set of prints. He hadn't planned on pushing Liz off that ladder, but it was too good an opportunity to pass up. He also knew that she saw him, the concussion must have scrambled her brains. She would remember eventually, his luck would run out. He still couldn't believe that he only put her out for a week, that little bitch was tougher than she looked. Although he was sure the he had Stephanie McMahon-Levesque to thank for Liz's speedy recovery, at least now he knew how she got the job, she was in tight with the McMahon family. That would make it even harder to get rid of her, she would have to fail in a spectacular fashion in order to get fired… or, she would have to be physically unable to work.

He smiled as he realized that there was one weak link in the crew, he would have to get under Ted's skin, let Ted make a scene and draw everyone's attention to himself. Then he would make is move, they would all blame it on Ted. They probably couldn't wait to blame Ted, they didn't call him Jackass Ted for nothing. If he played his cards right, he'd get Ted so enraged that he would get himself fired. Then he would make his move, with both Ted and Liz out of the picture, his life would be perfect. Why didn't he think of this sooner? He tossed back another shot of whiskey, this would be too easy.


	11. Whodunit?

Punk met up with Liz outside the arena and they ate outside in the parking lot. He wasn't ready to share her with anyone yet, maybe he was being selfish, but after all these months of heartache, she was finally his. He had to fly out as soon as the show was over, he knew they wouldn't have any alone time for at least the next week. He would have to be content sneaking kisses in the parking lot for the time being.

Liz sighed and leaned her head on his shoulder. He put his arm around her as she started giggling. "What's so funny?"

"You know now that we aren't 'just friends' anymore, there is no way you are getting your hoodie back!"

He kissed her lips and said "I'll buy you a million hoodies if it makes you happy."

She sighed, "We better get inside. Are you ready for the entire roster and crew to yell 'I told you so!'?" Liz started to get up but he pulled her in for another kiss. "I need to make up for lost time," he said when she playfully slapped his arm.

They walked into the catering area holding hands and were greeted with a standing ovation. Phil graciously took a bow while Liz felt her whole face turn red. Renee tackled her with a hug and Phil introduced her to Colt and Amy. "I'm so sorry if you got the wrong idea, Liz. Phil is nuts about you," Amy said as she squished her in a bear hug.

Liz was still flushed from all the attention when she went inside to check on her crew. Her good mood was instantly squashed, the guys were running around in a frenzy, Sam looked like he was going to cry and Jackass Ted was on a rampage. Liz got everyone's attention and called a crew meeting. "Alright guys, what the hell is going on in here? Someone fill me in ASAP!"

Half an hour later Liz was joining the frenzy, turns out half their lights were either broken or unaccounted for, two cameras were damaged and the backstage set was completely missing. How could this happen? She trusted her crew to break down by themselves last night because she knew they wouldn't do anything to make more work for themselves the next day. They liked have time to grab something to eat and do a walk through before every show. This was a disaster and Liz had no choice but to call Paul. Liz managed to salvage the equipment they had and within an hour the arena almost looked like a SmackDown set when she heard someone screaming her name. Liz turned around and was face to face with an enraged Jackass Ted.

"This is bullshit! Complete shit! This bitch ruined us, look at this! No MAN would ever let things get out of control like this!" His face was beet red, he was so angry he was spitting when he talked.

"Ted, shut up! Everything was here last night after we broke down. Clearly something happened in here overnight. Paul is working with arena security to figure it out."

"How the fuck would you know what happened last night Lizzie!?" The way he said her name made her blood boil, "You were too busy having an emotional melt down, crying like a little girl! What do you have your period? Wanna blame it on PMS?!"

Liz was furious, she was clenching her fists at her sides, but Ted wasn't done yet, he was just getting started, "This is what happens when you put women in charge of a man's job! You get stuck with shit like this!"

The entire roster and set crew were all standing in the stage area watching in horror. "But we all know how Liz got this job, don't we? Her BFF Stephanie McMahon got her hired!" At this point Ted's face was only inches from hers, he thought she would back down, but not her she was too stubborn, even though she was scared by that crazed look in his eyes, she stood her ground, "Got anything else you want to say, Ted?"

"Yeah, Lizzie, maybe if you weren't so busy fucking Paul behind your best friend's back we wouldn't be scrambling to get a set together an hour before the gate opens." Liz lost it, she could take a lot of shit, but that crossed the line, she pulled her arm back and punched Jackass Ted square in the nose. He stumbled backwards as blood spurted from his nose, "You bitch! You broke my nose! You fucking bitch! You all saw that, she fucking broke my nose!"

Liz turned around on her heel and stormed out of the arena, by the time she got outside all of the adrenaline had left her system and her whole body was shaking. She doubled over and sobbed, she didn't even hear him coming until he was right behind her, she spun around to throw a punch and stopped just in time to see Phil standing there with an ice pack. He took her hand and examined her knuckles, he gently placed the ice pack on the back of her hand, "I am so proud of you! You throw a better punch than half the Divas on the roster."

Liz couldn't help it, she started sobbing again. "Hey, Lizzie! No, its ok, no one agrees with him, he's Jackass Ted!"

"I lost it, I've never punched anyone before, I'm no better than him. I just, I don't think I've ever been that angry before."

"You are a million times better than him, Lizzie. He deserved worse than what you gave him, you only broke his nose, if I had gotten my hands on him, he'd never walk again."

Phil pulled her close and held her until she stopped sobbing. She managed to compose herself and got back to her crew just in time for the show to start. Sam hugged her and she accepted high fives from the rest of the crew. If she didn't have their respect before, she certainly had it now. The SmackDown taping went on as smoothly as possible considering they didn't have a set for the backstage segments.

Liz helped the crew break down after the show and load everything into the trailers, they bought new locks for the trailers and only Liz and Paul had the keys, not that someone with a pair of bolt cutters couldn't get in if they really wanted to. She still had no idea how everything went missing but she didn't believe that Jackass Ted was to blame. He was loud and obnoxious, but he was too lazy to do all that damage, especially not when it resulted in more work for him. She wished she were travelling with Phil, but he was already on a plane and she had to ride in the buses with the rest of the crew. She wrapped herself in his hoodie and sank down into a seat in the back, who would do this and why?

* * *

Paul was reviewing the security tapes from overnight, he was furious, because of the damage to his equipment he not only had to buy new lights and a new backstage set up, but he had one crew member in the hospital with a broken nose and technically, he had to at least suspend his crew chief for punching a coworker. He knew that by letting Liz get away with it, he was proving Ted's point that she was here because of her friendship with Stephanie. Maybe he could tell everyone that he was docking her pay and then just not do it? But if he did that, he would be mobbed by 90% of his employees, they all saw it, Liz was justified in her actions. He shook his head and smiled, Liz sure had a sweet right hook. He turned his attention back to the security tapes as he saw someone sneak into the storage area with a crowbar and come out less than an hour later. The man looked familiar, he just couldn't figure out who he was. He watched the tape over and over again but he never got a clear view of the man's face. All he knew for sure is that it wasn't Ted, the man was too short to be Ted. Who else hated Liz enough to go through all this trouble?


	12. Date Night - Ch12

She was on top of the ladder looking down, she could see the man on the ground shaking the ladder, he looked up at her and smiled, she saw his face, she knew him! The picture was finally starting to clear and then she was jolted awake by a shooting pain in her back. It took a few minutes for Liz to remember where she was, she was on a tour bus with her crew and her back hurt so badly that she would have to ask someone to help her out of the seat. She swallowed the lump in her throat, determined not to let the men see her cry. All she wanted was a long hot shower and a quiet evening lounging in Phil's arms, but they were still eight hours from their destination so she would have to settle for some stretching and lounging in his hoodie.

* * *

Punk was at a comic convention doing a meet and greet session. He always loved interacting with the fans and today was no exception. After his session was over he browsed the vendor booths and picked up a few comics to round out his collection. He missed Liz, he wouldn't get to see her again until tomorrow before the show. He had friends in the area and they hooked him up with reservations at a romantic Italian restaurant, he couldn't wait to take her out on a proper date. Now that they were a couple, he wanted to do more than just lay around watching movies and eating junk food.

* * *

By the time they got to the arena the next morning Liz was in so much pain that she couldn't even stand up straight. She hobbled over to the trainer's room hoping that Doc could at least get her in a condition to make it through the show. Hopefully once she started moving around her muscles would loosen up enough for her to help the crew.

Phil was waiting for her by the catering area with a giant cup of coffee and a bag of donuts. "I know you need to set up, but I thought you might need some fuel."

"Phil, you are an amazing man!" She kissed him and took a sip of her coffee. "I thought we could go out for dinner after the show tonight. A friend recommended a great little Italian place." Liz really didn't want to think about being out after the show, but Phil looked so excited, he obviously had been planning this. She agreed to meet him in the hotel lobby after she finished breaking down the set.

Liz and the crew were one man short and extremely paranoid, they didn't want any problems tonight. They triple checked each piece of equipment before they set it up, then they did a dry run on the audio and lights, then did a walk thru. They decided not to leave anything unattended and took their lunch breaks in shifts. Liz was proud of her crew and she was touched by how fiercely they watched her back. They'd figure out who was behind all of this and she was pretty sure he or she would suffer a massive beat down.

The evening passed by without anything of interest to report. Liz changed into 'date' clothes, she had a simple pair of black pants and a pretty purple silk top, she pulled her hair out of the braid and was pleased to see how nicely it fell over her shoulders. She ran down to the lobby to meet Phil, he looked amazing in his black dress pants and grey button down shirt. She snuck up behind him and slapped his ass, giggling when he jumped and spun around. He kissed her, took her hand and let her out to his rental car.

Punk was nervous, he just realized that he'd never actually seen this restaurant, he just took the word of a guy he used to wrestle with back in the day. This was their first date and he wanted it to be something Liz would remember and not because he took her to some sleazy restaurant. The outside looked nice enough so he parked the car in the small back lot, Liz smiled at him, "This place is gorgeous, Phil! I'm so excited!"

They were seated at a small table in the back of the restaurant, the good thing about being here so late was that most of the dinner crowd was already home and in bed. They nibbled on warm freshly baked bread and looked over the menu, "Oh, they have steak Pizzaiola, my Grandma used to make that all the time, it's been years since I had it!"

This was only the second time she mentioned her family and the only good thing she said about them, "Well, then I guess we'll have to try it!"

Dinner was delicious, according to Liz the steak Pizzaiola was very good but nothing could ever beat her grandma's. When it came time for dessert Punk was shocked to hear her decline, "I'm kinda full," she said as she squeezed his hand. He felt his cock twitch when he saw the twinkle in her eye, he threw down a wad of cash and dragged her back to the rental car. Before he opened her car door he kissed her, a hard passionate kiss to let her know what he had in store for the rest of the evening. It was very difficult to observe the speed limit on the short drive back to the hotel.

Liz was giddy, that kiss was more intense than any kiss they shared so far, it gave her goosebumps and butterflies. They parked by the hotel and Liz stifled a giggle as she watched Phil try to discretely adjust his tented pants, turns out he was thinking the same thing she was thinking. They managed to restrain themselves in the elevator and down the hall to Liz's room, but as soon as she put the key in the door, Phil pushed her inside and pinned her against the door. He claimed her mouth thrusting his tongue in her mouth, she groaned and wrapped her arms around his waist pulling him closer as she explored the inside of his mouth. She could already feel how hard he was, she slid her hands down to his ass and squeezed as she rubbed herself against his crotch.

They kissed like that forever, until Punk was afraid he would cum before he even got his pants off. He carried Liz over to the bed, laid her down and started sucking on her neck. She moaned and gripped his head silently begging him not to stop. He kept sucking and kissing her neck and collarbone as he kneaded her breasts through her silk top.

She held on to him as he kissed and sucked and groped her until she felt a familiar twinge in her lower back, she tried to ignore it, hoping it would go away but it was no use, within seconds she was curled up in the fetal position enduring a terrible back spasm. Poor Phil, he was beside himself, he tried to massage the muscle and to help her stretch but nothing was working. She blinked back tears and said "The only other thing I can try is a hot shower."

He helped her up and walked her over to the bathroom, closing the door behind him. He heard the water turn on and the shower curtain slide into place. Knowing that she was naked and wet on the other side of the door brought his cock back to full mast. He should make sure she is OK, that was a brutal muscle spasm... He quietly opened the bathroom door and tossed his clothes on the floor and pulled the shower curtain back. She was even more magnificent than he dreamed, the way the water streamed down her breasts and he wanted to lick the water droplets off her hips. She looked him up and down and licked her lips as her eyes rested on his erection, she smiled at him and he stepped into the shower.


	13. Dreams Come True

Liz felt awful, her stupid back ruined everything, she cranked the hot water on and stood under the scalding hot stream trying to loosen up. She was washing her face when she heard the shower curtain open, her heart skipped a beat and she felt a twinge of excitement low in her belly when she looked up and saw Phil's rock hard naked body, her eyes resting on his massive erection. He silently stepped in behind her and closed the curtain, "Feel any better?" he asked in a raspy voice. She could only nod as he pushed her long black hair over her shoulder and started rubbing her shoulders and kissing her neck, for the first time in her life, Liz was speechless.

He could already feel her heart hammering in her chest and he was just getting warmed up, he moved his hands from her shoulders and wrapped his arms around her waist pulling her body against his. She wiggled against him when she felt his erection against the small of her back, a low growl escape from the back of his throat as he slid his hands up her midsection and cupped both of her breasts, one in each hand. Just like in his fantasies, they more than filled his hands, he grazed his thumbs across her nipples as he kneaded her breasts in his palms. Liz gasped and arched her back pressing herself into his hands and giving him better access to suck on her neck. She reached her hands up behind her and ran her fingers through his damp hair, panting as he rolled her nipples between his thumb and forefinger. He gently pinched one of her nipples and then let his hand roam down her body, enjoying how soft and smooth her skin felt under his calloused hands. He pressed his hand between her thighs and cupped her sex feeling his cock twitch when he realized how wet she was. He dragged one finger between her slick folds up to her clit, she moaned his name as he slowly massaged her. He thrust one finger inside her and then another while letting the palm of his hand rub against her sensitive little bundle of nerves. He pressed his mouth against her ear and whispered "Lizzie, you are so wet" before nibbling her ear lobe. He was rewarded with a sexy moan "Phil, don't stop, please."

Liz gripped onto his shoulders and rode his hand as he thrust his fingers in and out of her, moaning every time his palm hit against her clit. She was on the edge, she felt her belly start to tense and then he started kneading her breast again, pinching her nipple and nibbling her ear. She lost all control as her walls clenched around his fingers and her legs buckled, he wrapped his arm around her hips holding her against him as he continued to push his fingers inside her. She cried out as her whole body shook in pleasure, Phil held her close and whispered against her ear "You are so beautiful." She turned around and wrapped her arms around his waist, kissing his lips and his jaw. She was eager to wrap her hand around his hard length and return the favor. But he reached behind her and turned off the water then lifted her out of the shower.

She felt herself start to blush as they stood naked under the harsh lights in the bathroom, he grabbed two towels, wrapping one around his hips and patting her dry with the other one. She couldn't help but stare at the bulge from behind his towel, she reached down and started rubbing his towel clad erection grinning as he licked his lips and tipped his head back. Liz put her other arm around his shoulders, leaned her head forward and pulled one of his nipples between her lips, twirling her tongue around it. He groaned, she dragged her nails across his shoulders and sucked on his nipple, gently biting down on it.

He was struggling to keep himself together as Liz was groping him, he wasn't ready to cum yet, there was so much more he wanted to do to her tonight, but when she licked his chest and bit down on his nipple he almost unloaded right into his towel. He scooped her up into his arms and crushed his lips against hers plunging his tongue into her mouth, "Easy there, Lizzie, or we'll be done before we even get started." He carried her back to the bed ditching his towel somewhere along the way, she was so sexy, her lips swollen from his kisses, her eyes glazed over with lust and her cheeks still flushed from her orgasm, she was even more amazing than he could have ever dreamed. She rested her head against his shoulder and sighed as she kissed his neck sending the blood rushing straight to his already pulsing cock. He laid her on the bed and positioned himself between her legs, admiring everything about her as he dragged his erection between her wet folds earning himself a frustrated moan. He grinned at her and pushed his swollen head into her entrance, she gasped as he slowly pushed deeper inside her, she was so tight and he had been waiting so long for this, he had to pause every few seconds to keep from embarrassing himself. Liz's head was tossed back on the pillow, her eyes half open as she watched him thrust into her. Once he was balls deep inside her, he allowed himself a second to close his eyes and enjoy how tight and wet she was before beginning to move slowly in and out.

Phil was making her crazy, she never wanted sex so badly before, he was teasing her, pulling out slowly, almost completely out and then thrusting back in hitting that spot each time. She wrapped her legs around his hips in a wasted effort to get him to move faster, he smiled at her and leaned forward gently kissing her lips as he moved even slower than before. "Oh, Phil! That's so good," she moaned as she bit down onto his shoulder. He laid his body against hers, pushing her into the mattress and she dragged her nails up and down his back, she couldn't believe that she was close to cumming again, she could feel her walls starting to tighten around him. He groaned and started moving faster, he gripped her hips as she met each of his thrusts, his hardness felt so good inside her. Her heart was racing and his thrusts were becoming harder and more frenzied, she moaned and dug her nails into his back trying to pull him closer to her. He pulled out and thrust hard and deep inside her making her cry out his name, she buried her face against his neck as she came again, her walls clenching down on his cock. With one last thrust he came inside her, pulling her tight against him as they panted against each other's shoulders.

He rolled over onto his side pulling Liz against him, he twirled her hair and smiled at her, he felt insanely happy looking at her cuddling up against him, tracing the tattoos on his arm. "That was even better than I imagined," she said.

He was stunned, "You imagined having sex with me?" She blushed and tried to hide her face. "Oh, Lizzie, don't be embarrassed, I dreamed about this for months." She looked at him with those big chocolate brown eyes, "Lizzie, you are perfect in every way. And there is still so much more I want to do to you."

Liz grinned at him, "I don't plan on going anywhere anytime soon!" He kissed her and played with her hair, she wanted to stay awake all night memorizing every single tattoo on his chest and arms, but he was so soothing and she felt so safe wrapped in his arms. He pulled the blankets up over them and she quickly fell asleep.

Punk watched Liz sleep in his arms, her breath warm against his chest. He kissed the top of her head and whispered "I love you Lizzie. I've loved you since I first laid eyes on you." She sighed and snuggled closer to him, he held her tightly and drifted off to sleep content that he finally won her heart.


	14. I've Got a Bad Feeling

For the first time in months, Liz woke up before her alarm went off, she knew she didn't get more than a few hours of sleep, but it was the best sleep she ever had. She never felt so comfortable and so safe with anyone before, she wanted to stay in Phil's arms all day. "Hey there my Lizzie, did you sleep well?"

"I never slept so well in my life," she said, "I wish we could stay like this all day long. I don't want to leave you. I just have a bad feeling about today."

"Don't worry, we'll get dinner after the show and then we'll spend the night together again. It will be fine." He said as he kissed the top of her head. "Let's get dressed and get breakfast. I'll drop you off at the arena on my way to the gym."

Punk pulled on some gym clothes and smiled as he watched Liz braid her hair, "What's that look for?" He walked up behind her and put his arms around his waist, "Just remembering what happened the last time I stood behind you like this", he said kissing her neck.

Liz felt her cheeks getting hot, "Yeah, um, that was some shower," she turned around to face him, looking up into his eyes and wrapping her arms around his neck, she stood on her toes and kissed his lips, sucking in his bottom lip and then plunging her tongue inside his mouth. He groaned and pulled her close, his tongue meeting hers. She broke the kiss and looked up at him again, still blushing slightly, her thoughts were all jumbled in her head. She started to say something and then stopped and buried her face in his shirt. "What's wrong, Liz? Tell me."

"Wrong? No, nothing is wrong, everything is great. Its just…" She sighed and looked at him again, his eyes were filled with love for her, she knew her heart was safe with him. "Phil, I love you."

Punk was thrilled, he couldn't believe his ears, Liz loves him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and squeezed her into a bear hug, lifting her feet off the ground, she squealed and laughed. "I love you too Lizzie, with all my heart." She wrapped her legs around his waist and kissed him again, a long deep passionate kiss, she wanted to put all her love for him into that kiss.

* * *

He wasted the whole day yesterday, he couldn't believe the way the crew was carrying on, there wasn't a single second where something was left unattended. He couldn't slip in and pull out a wire or erase a sound file or even bust a few light bulbs. If they were this organized six months ago, the production team wouldn't have felt the need to bring someone new in and he would have never laid eyes on Elizabeth Micelli. So far the only one who got what they had coming was Ted and he'd probably get his job back anyway, he's an asshole but he's good at what he does, no way Paul or Liz would want to let him go. He would have to devise a new plan, if he couldn't weasel a way in to destroy anything tonight, then he would just wait for Liz outside her hotel room, she'd never see it coming, he'll have to settle for putting her out of commission. But Punk was following her around now, he'd have to make sure that Liz went up alone and he knew exactly how to do it.

* * *

Liz still felt uneasy after Phil dropped her off at the arena, she hurried inside looking over her shoulder, she swore someone was out there, but the parking lot was empty. Soon she'd be in the production meeting with Paul and then she'd have her crew around her and then once the talent started coming in, she'd be surrounded by familiar faces. Maybe she could grab some lunch with Renee and Kaitlyn, she wanted to tell them that she was head over heels in love with Phil, of course, they probably already knew that, seemed like she was the last one to figure it out. But, they did make her promise to spill the details about their first date, a little girl talk was always good for the soul, maybe that would ease her mind.

The production meeting was fairly normal, she had to catch up with a few people to do some set placement and practice lighting and camera angles, but it was all pretty routine at this point. She rarely even had to consult with The Miz anymore when it was time to set up for his Miz TV segments. Not even the Divas gave her much grief anymore, not since their little sleepover party, she figured her new friends put in a good word for her. Liz smiled to herself, her life was really coming together, she had great friends, a great job and an amazing boyfriend but there was still one glaring black spot – the person who pushed her off that ladder and kept screwing around with her and her crew. Whoever it was would appear again soon, it had been too quiet, but then again, her crew wasn't leaving any openings either. Liz shook her head and went off to find her crew, they were still a man short so they didn't have time to mess around.

* * *

"All right bitches, let's get to work!" Punk yelled at his friends as he walked into the gym. Orton and Bryan were already warming up and Kofi and Cena had walked in just before he did. The four men just looked at each other, Punk was extra peppy this morning. "Guess your date went well last night," Bryan said.

"Actually, yes, it did. Thanks for asking, now who wants to spot me?"

Orton smirked and slapped Punk on the back, "You get any ass last night, bro?"

"Shut up Randall or I'll punch your face in, real men don't kiss and tell."

"So you did get some! Man, Liz had has a great set on her..."

Phil hauled off to punch him, "Stop talking about Liz and stop leering at her. She's not like your little parade of bimbos."

Kofi and Bryan got in between them and as usual, John was the voice of reason, "Alright, alright, whatever. Liz is officially Punk's woman and we will talk about her with the utmost respect. Same goes for the other ladies. Randy, you can do whatever you want with your bimbos, just keep your mouth shut about it. And if you make one more comment about another man's woman, I will punch you myself."

* * *

Paul slammed the phone down, he didn't believe it, the fingerprint results were back from the lab and there was only one set of prints on there that didn't make sense. They all matched the employee records that he had sent over and all of them could be dismissed as belonging there, except for one. Then his head of security came in with an update that turned his stomach. He had the foresight to request surveillance footage from all of the arenas where they had trouble with their set equipment, he reviewed hours of video and one person kept popping up where he didn't belong. He had already checked flight data and knew he was in the same city. After notifying the local police, arena security and hotel security, he went to give Paul the bad news.

Paul knew he had to find Liz fast, he had to warn her, this guy hurt her once, there was no telling what he would do next. He kept calling her cell phone, but it was going straight to voicemail, she probably forgot to turn it back on after they were done taping. He tried calling Punk but he wasn't answering, he grabbed his jacket and took off running towards the hotel.

* * *

Liz was relieved, the show went smoothly and they broke down the set quickly, cataloging every single item and locking it away in the trailers. They would head out in the morning for the next city, thankfully, it was only a three hour drive. Now she could head back to the hotel, change her clothes and get something to eat with Phil and some of the others. Renee was all over her about doing a double date, this girl was just too cute for words and with Sami, they were the perfect couple. A double date might be fun, Phil would probably go for it, he was up for anything.

She found Phil in the hotel lobby signing autographs and posing for pictures with a bunch of little kids. She smiled, you had to love a man that was good with kids, she tapped him on the shoulder and told him that she wanted to change out of her uniform before they headed out. He gave her a quick kiss on the lips and the fans cheered, she blushed, "I'll be back in five minutes, OK?"

"You better be! I'm starving. Don't make me come up there and drag you out!" Punk laughed, she was so cute when she blushed. "CM Punk, is that lady your girlfriend?" a little girl asked, "She is so pretty!" another one chimed in, then he heard "Girls are gross!" from a little boy, he just laughed.

Liz bolted through the doors as soon as the elevator opened and jogged down the hall to her room, she was hungry too and wanted to get out of her heavy cargo pants, maybe she would change into that cute sundress she bought the last time she went out shopping with Renee, Phil would love to see her in that. She got closer to her room and saw someone waiting outside her door, she instinctively reached for the pepper spray she kept in her pocket. She relaxed when she realized who it was, "Hey! You scared me! Why didn't you come to the arena? Everyone would have loved to see you!"

"This isn't a social call, bitch. Now open your door and get inside. Don't even think about screaming."


	15. Whiskey, Blood and Tears

Liz just stared at him, she should pepper spray him and run like hell, she could get back to the lobby in less than two minutes if she took the stairs. Then she saw the look in his eyes and she flashed back to that day when she was up on the ladder, this really was the man who was responsible for all her physical and emotional torment. She started to reach for her pepper spray again, when suddenly he was toe to toe with her, he pulled a scary looking knife from his pocket and pointed it at her throat, "I said open the door."

She had no choice but to go into her room and let him follow her. Maybe she could get him talking and then Phil would realize how long she was gone and come up to check on her. "But, Joe, I don't understand. Why are you here?"

"You don't understand? Are you kidding me? You stole my job, you destroyed my life."

Liz started slowly backing away from him, trying to get to the phone on the night table. "But, I thought you wanted to retire? I thought that's why the job was available?"

Joe laughed, "Retire? No way, that wasn't my idea. Paul thinks I drink too much, kept trying to get me to go to rehab," he scratched the back of his head with the tip of his knife, "Doc would call me in for weekly piss tests, and then breathalizers!" He stopped and eyed her, "Don't even think about touching that phone!"

Deep breaths Liz, deep breaths, keep him talking, "Well, you can still enjoy your time with your wife, right? Playing golf?"

"The bitch left me when she found out I got forced into retirement."

OK, great job Liz… "What about your grandkids? I mean, spoiling your grandkids, that's got to be something worth retiring for!"

"My stupid daughter won't let me near the kids until I quit the whiskey. Not like I've ever hurt anyone before, at least, not before you came along. You really did me a favor climbing up on that ladder, such a stupid thing to do. Now, enough talking, the only way to get my job back is to get rid of you."

"No! Wait!" Liz was starting to panic, where the hell was Phil, surely she'd been gone for more than five minutes, it felt she was gone for hours, "I'll talk to Paul and Stephanie! You can have your job back."

"Too late for that." He shook his head, he almost looked sad, this guy is totally off his rocker. Think, Lizzie, think! Keep him talking, stall, buy time, get out! "Now that I know you are in tight with the McMahons, the only way you'll leave this job is in a body bag." He lunged at her holding the knife out, she jumped back and grabbed the phone off the table behind her, she swung wildly just missing his head, but she managed to knock the knife from his hand. She kicked it across the room and took off running, pulling the pepper spray from her pocket. He was close behind her, she could smell his breath on the back of her neck, she spun around and aimed the spray at his face, but his hand closed around hers, she felt her bones crunch inside his fist. She started kicking and punching and spitting and doing everything she could think of to put distance between them, but he was strong for a drunk old man, he flung her across the room, her body bounced off the wall and hit the floor with a thud.

She was slumped down on the floor, the pain in her hand was blinding and her back was locked up, her vision was fuzzy but she could make out Joe's boots as he walked towards her, she could swear she heard him laughing. "Wait, Joe, Please," her voice sounded funny, weak and desperate, "Don't, please Joe." He grabbed her by her hair and forced her to a standing position, slamming her against the wall again, she whimpered as the pain shot through her back. He looked her in the eyes and smiled, "This was fun, Liz. Too bad its over for you," He squeezed both hands around her neck, she grabbed with her good hand trying to force his fingers away from her throat but slowly everything got dark.

* * *

Punk was still surrounded by fans when Paul came running into the hotel, with security right on his heels. The fans started murmuring, "Look! Its Triple H! Can we have an autograph? Can I take your picture?" He pushed through the crowd and yelled, "PUNK! Where's Liz?"

"She went up to change before we got dinner. Why? What's wrong? You look like hell."

"How long is she gone? Have you seen Joey? We have to find her!"

"Dunno, she said five minutes, but I guess its been longer than that now. Joey? He retired… why would be he here?"

"Joe has been behind all this. He's here, they saw him on security footage. He's been stalking her."

The head of security rushed over, "I have a master key, let's go check her room." Punk didn't wait for anyone, he grabbed the key and took off running up the stairs, Paul and security were right behind him. He never ran so fast in his life, he pushed everyone out of his way focusing on the door to Liz's room. It was eerily quiet, where the hell was she? He threw the door open and saw Joe pinning Liz to the wall with his hands around her throat, she was pale, her eyes were closed, he made his way across the room in under a second. Punk grabbed him by his shoulders and spun him around and started punching him in the face, Joe was so surprised he couldn't even get his hands up to protect his himself. He hit him with a massive blow that sent Joe reeling, but he didn't let up, he kept going until they were on the floor. Punk just kept punching, blindly punching, his fists crushing the disgusting man on the floor. Finally Paul and security managed to pull him off of Joe. He was seething, furious he wanted to kill him, he struggled against Paul's grip, desperate to get his hands on Joe again, the man who broke his Lizzie, "Punk! That's enough! Liz."

He turned around and saw his Lizzie on the floor in a heap, she wasn't moving. "Liz, no…" His knees buckled and he was on the floor next to her. He pulled her in his lap, her lips were blue and her neck was purple from Joe's hands. He brushed her hair away from her face. "Lizzie, please," he blinked back tears, "Open your eyes, say something, anything, Lizzie."

Paul put his hand on his shoulder, he spoke softly, trying to keep calm himself, "Phil, let the EMTs in, let them help her." He backed away, helpless, and watched as they worked on her. Doc Sampson was trying to look at his bloody knuckles, he didn't care, he just stood there, his eyes focused on Liz and the EMTs, he was waiting for some sign that she was going to be OK. He felt a small hand on his arm, he looked over and saw Renee, her face stained with tears, "She's gonna be OK, she won't leave you." It was then that he realized how many people were there in that little room, his friends and Liz's friends. Everyone watching him watch Liz, he let the tears stream down is face as they loaded Liz on the stretcher. He walked alongside her as they got into the elevator, went through the lobby and out into the waiting ambulance. He held her hand the whole ride, everything was a blur.

He stood there in the hallway watching through the little windows on the doors as they worked on Liz. Paul and Renee and the others were there waiting with him, but he didn't care about any of them. He was frozen in place, waiting for any news and hoping that Liz had enough fight left in her.


	16. Home Sweet Home

She slowly opened her eyes, struggling to remember where she was, she still couldn't see straight. It was the pain that brought it all back, Joe, it was Joe, he tried to kill her. Was she still in the hotel room? Was Joe still here? Did he know she was still alive? She tried to listen for a clue that would tell her where he was hiding, what he was planning to do to her next, but then she heard a soft beeping and a low hum, it sounded familiar, but what was it? Someone was holding her hand, they squeezed it, she blinked a few times and then Phil's face came into focus, he looked awful, his eyes were bloodshot and his beard was scruffy. He smiled at her, she tried to ask him where she was, but he stopped her, "Shh, Lizzie, its ok. Don't try to talk. You're safe. I'm so sorry, Liz, I should have gotten there sooner."

She shook her head and squeezed his hand, she tried to sit up, but she had tubes and wires all over her. He moved from the chair and sat on the side of her bed and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her up and holding her against his chest. She held onto his shirt with her good hand and nuzzled her face into the side of his neck. "Not your fault," she croaked "I love you."

* * *

It was the worst combination of injuries ever. Her throat was too bruised for her to be able to talk and her right hand was broken so she couldn't write. Phil had Paul bring her laptop and she slowly typed out what she wanted to say using only her left hand, she was so frustrated! She wanted to tell them everything that Joe said, she wanted to ask Paul if it was true, she wanted to tell Phil to stop feeling guilty, that it wasn't his fault. Finally, she deleted what she had so far and typed out three words and turned the screen around. Phil read it and laughed, "Paul, tell everyone not to worry, Lizzie is her normal self." She wrote "ICE CREAM PLEASE"

Thankfully, they only kept her in the hospital for one night, and Phil insisted on staying with her, he slept in the chair next to her bed holding her hand. She tried to convince him that she would be fine, but she was secretly relieved that he stayed anyway. After Phil and Stephanie argued over who could take better care of her, it was decided that they would all stay at the hotel for a couple of days until Liz felt well enough to fly, then she would go to Chicago with Phil for a few weeks until the cast could come off her hand. Then she would get back to work, Doc Sampson could help her with her physical therapy, in the meantime, Jackass Ted would oversee the crew, apparently, his nose had healed quicker than they thought it would.

* * *

Punk was shocked when Lizzie chose to come home with him rather than Stephanie, he would still have to travel every week to be on Raw, but he had the rest of the week off until she healed. He couldn't wait to have her all to himself, to hold her every night, to take care of her, to try to make up for not getting upstairs sooner that night. He would never forgive himself for losing track of time. "Well, here we are Lizzie, my home sweet home! What do you think?"

"It's perfect! Just like you," her voice was still weak, he had to keep reminding her not to talk so much, "Thanks so much for letting me stay with you."

"Anything for you Lizzie. I'll bring all our bags to the bedroom and then we can decide what we want for dinner. Take out or go out?"

"Take out, please. I'm still pretty tired."

* * *

They polished off a 2 liter bottle of diet Pepsi, an ungoldy amount of sushi and watched the Cubs game (good thing the Yankees rarely played the Cubs, they could both be fans of both teams without too much drama) and were getting ready to call it a night. Punk could see how stiff Liz was, all the sitting they did that day had her back all locked up, he took her by the hand and led her to his bedroom, "I have an idea," he said winking at her.

Liz was achy and stiff and couldn't wait to snuggle under the covers and sleep, until Phil gave her that look and pulled her off the couch, she went from sleepy to horny in under two seconds. As soon as they were in the bedroom, he pulled her shirt up over her head and unhooked her bra, he gently kissed her lips and whispered "Time for your first physical therapy session, we'll start with a massage. Lay on your stomach." She laid down and he straddled her hips, slowly rubbing her shoulders and neck, she purred with contentment as he moved his hands down her back and left featherlight kisses across her shoulders. He used just the right amount of pressure and all her stiff muscles melted like butter under his hands. He paid extra attention to her lower back which was what usually locked up on her, she was in heaven - the combination of his hands and his kisses, she never felt more relaxed in her life. Then he lifted her hips and pulled her pants off kissing down the side of her leg as he tossed them aside.

He rolled her onto her back and sat back admiring how gorgeous she looked, she smiled shyly at him, he laid next to her and sucked on her lower lip and plunged his tongue in her mouth, she moaned and wrapped her arms around him, holding his head with her good hand. He kissed her long and hard and then nibbled down her jawline and kissed her neck, he rolled her nipple between his fingers and smiled against her soft skin when she gasped his name. He kneaded her breast and sucked her other nipple, twirling his tongue around it until it was hard, then he switched breasts giving the other one equal attention. He released her nipple from his mouth and made his way down her stomach, she sighed and ran her fingers through his hair. He kissed her hips and gently pushed her thighs open, she held her breath as he kissed the inside of her thigh. He dragged his tongue from her entrance, between her slick folds and up to her clit, "mmmm, Lizzie, so wet for me". She moaned and arched her back as he sucked her swollen nub and then thrust his tongue inside her, he lifted one leg over his shoulder and plunged his tongue even deeper inside her, growling as she pushed her hips up to meet his tongue. He dug his hands into her ass as he licked and sucked her, loving every gasp and moan that escaped from her lips. The more she bucked against his mouth, the harder he sucked, "Cum for me Lizzie, I want to taste you." She tossed her head back against his pillow and arched her back pressing her wet core against his face as she cried out his name, he felt her walls tighten around his tongue as he thrust in and out sucking her juices.

He held her until her orgasm subsided, then he knelt between her legs positioning his cock at her entrance. He pressed his swollen head inside her, grinning as she wrapped her legs around his hips and tried to pull him closer. "Please…" she whispered, and he couldn't resist her, he plunged his cock all the way inside her, groaning, she was so tight and wet. He wanted to pace himself, tried to pull in and out slowly, but she kept moving her hips to meet his thrusts, begging him to go faster. He pressed his body against her and wrapped his arms around her and she kissed his neck, moaning softly as he moved inside her. His thrusts were short and hard as he felt himself getting close, he held her tightly and she sucked on his neck, he pulled out and roughly slammed back into her, moving faster and thrusting harder each time until she dug her nails into his back and bit down on his shoulder. He felt her walls gripping him as he moved in and out and he couldn't hold back any longer, one last hard thrust and he emptied himself deep inside her as she squeezed every drop from him. He collapsed on top of her, still holding her tightly as her body shook from her orgasm.

He rolled off her and laid on his side, pulling her next to him, she snuggled into the crook of his arm, she fit perfectly there. "I love you, Phil," she looked at him with those big brown eyes, "I love you so much, I've never felt like this before, you make me feel so happy and safe," she felt her eyes start to tear up.

"I love you too Lizzie," he brushed her tears away and kissed her forehead, "You are the best thing that has ever happened to me."


	17. Sugar Rush

He was cradling Liz in his lap, tears streaming down his face, her lips were blue, her skin was pale and she wasn't moving. "Lizzie, please, no… Don't leave me, Liz," he begged her to move or breathe or anything, any sign that she would be OK. She was just lying there, ice cold in his lap. His eyes flew open and he bolted out of bed, it was only a dream, it was that dream, again. He took a deep breath and reminded himself that he was in a hotel room in Boise, Idaho and Liz was home in his bed in Chicago. It had been three weeks since he brought Liz home with him and every single time he spent the night away from her this dream repeated itself. He would give anything to hear her voice right now, but it was only 3 AM in Chicago, she would be sleeping for sure. Waking her up would only worry her. He decided to shower and get his stuff packed, there was no way he'd fall back to sleep, maybe he could get an earlier flight...

* * *

Liz was lying in the middle of Phil's king sized bed, wide awake and staring at the ceiling. She looked at the clock, 3 AM, exactly 27 minutes since the last time she looked at the clock. It was impossible to sleep without Phil in bed with her. "Get a grip, Lizzie, its just one night, you've been on your own for years, don't get all codependent now." She really wanted to call him, maybe he was still up? No, if she did that, he would never leave her alone again, she had to practically push him out the door and into the taxi every week. He was getting better though, that first week he made Colt and Amy come over and demanded that they stay with her until he got back. Thank goodness Colt was able to talk some sense into him, not that she didn't like hanging out with them, but really, she didn't need babysitters.

Just a few more hours they both thought…

* * *

Punk opened his front door and heard the music blasting through the house, Liz must have connected her iPod to his stereo system. He called out to her, but she obviously couldn't hear him over the music, then he smelled something delicious. He followed his nose to the kitchen where he found Lizzie dancing around racks of cooling chocolate chip cookies wearing nothing but his Cubs jersey. He leaned against the doorway and watched her, chuckling when he realized that she was using a wooden spoon as a microphone. She still didn't notice him standing there, every time she hopped around the jersey slipped up giving him a peek at her pretty pink panties. The song ended and he applauded, "Encore! Encore!"

Liz nearly jumped out of her skin, "Shit, Phil, are you trying to give me a heart attack?" She put her hands over her pounding heart and glared at him as he tossed a cookie in his mouth and grabbed the stereo remote to lower the volume.

"These are really good, Liz. But why so many cookies? Are we having a bake sale or something?"

"Thanks, I'll tell Betty Crocker you like her mix," she said, "I dunno, I was bored, so I decided to bake and then I got a little carried away." She rolled her eyes as he ate yet another cookie, "Jeeze, Phil, save some for me, do you know how hard it is to bake with one hand? At least let me enjoy the fruits of my labor!"

"There are more than enough cookies here, Lizzie," he said as he walked over to her, he hooked his finger into the top of the jersey and peeked down, just as he suspected, no bra. "But, first of all, I need to know what a die-hard Yankee fan is doing wearing nothing but a Cubs jersey?"

She swatted at his hand, "Simple, I didn't want to get my Derek Jeter jersey dirty. Hey! You are home early!"

"Oh, you just noticed that now?" He smirked and wrapped her in a bear hug and kissed her sweet lips, she tasted like chocolate, she had been sampling her own baking. "Mmmm… you taste like cookies."

"I can't resist them when they are fresh from the oven," she shrugged, "so, I tasted one from each batch." She pulled his head down for another kiss, "I missed you, more than I want to admit."

"I missed you too, and I come home and find you looking sexy as all hell dancing around my kitchen. I am one lucky man."

She grinned at him, "Don't forget about the cookies. I made you cookies."

"Yes, the cookies are a bonus, I suppose I should properly thank you for the sugar rush," he said as he lifted her up and sat her on the countertop. He kissed her lips and unbuttoned her jersey, as soon as her breasts were showing he pinched her left nipple, smiling when she gasped. He plunged his tongue into her mouth and continued rolling her nipple between his fingers, with his other hand he pushed her panties aside and growled into her mouth when he felt how wet she was. "You really did miss me, huh, Lizzie?" She interrupted him by shoving her tongue in his mouth and wrapping her arms around his neck. He lifted her ass off the counter and ripped her panties off, kneading her ass and pulling her against his jean clad erection. She wrapped her legs around his waist and deepened the kiss, tangling her fingers in his hair. He carried her out of the kitchen into the living room without breaking the kiss and gently placed her on the couch, he pulled his shirt over his head as she started rubbing his cock through his jeans. He quickly got rid of his pants and she started to take off the jersey, "No, no, Lizzie, you leave that on."

She raised her eyebrow at him and wrapped her hand around the base of his erection, leaning forward and pulling the swollen head into her mouth. She swirled her tongue around the tip cleaning off the drop of precum, he sucked in a deep breath and ran his fingers through her hair. She looked up at him, licked her lips and took his whole cock into her mouth, gently sucking as she moved her head up and down his length. She hummed against his cock when he wrapped her long black hair into his hands so he could watch her suck him.

He leaned his head back and moaned her name as she took his cock deep into her mouth, he felt himself getting close, he didn't want to blow his load in her mouth but he didn't want to make her stop either. He held on as long as he could before pushing her back, he sank down onto the couch next to her and kissed her along her jawline and sucked her neck, kneading her breasts. She climbed into his lap and rubbed her wetness along his throbbing cock, pressing her breasts against his mouth, he eagerly pulled her nipple into his mouth and sucked on it until it was perfectly erect. She lifted herself up and positioned his cock at her wet entrance, gasping as she lowered herself onto him. He put both hands on her hips and guided her as she rode up and down on him and pulled her other nipple into his mouth, swirling his tongue around it until it was just as hard as the other one.

She tossed her head back and moaned his name, running her fingers through his messy hair. He released her breast and looked into her eyes, pushing her hips down onto him and groaning as he felt her juices dripping onto his lap. They kissed passionately, tongues tangling together as she slowly moved up and down on top of him. They kept up the slow pace as long as they could until she felt her body tense, she sped up and he roughly pulled her down as he raised his hips to meet her, they both moaned and thrust against each other moving faster and harder until they couldn't hold back any longer. They came together holding each other tightly, burying their faces against each others necks until their breathing returned to normal.

She gently rearranged her body until she was sitting across his lap and he pulled the blanket off the back of the couch wrapping it around them both. She laid her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, enjoying being in his arms.

"Oh! I almost forgot, Amy wants us to go on a double date with her tonight. She says we need to spend less time rolling around naked and more tome enjoying Chicago."

Phil laughed and twirled her hair, "Maybe we don't want to put clothes on and join the rest of the city."

"Amy wants to meet at 7:00, she said she would text us the name of the restaurant."

He looked at the clock on the cable box, it wasn't even 2 PM yet, "Well, then we have plenty of time to be naked." She kissed the tattoo behind his ear and nuzzled her head against his neck, "Sleepy?" he asked.

She nodded, "Can we stay like this for a little while?" She yawned and closed her eyes, breathing in his familiar scent and dozing off. He wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her back until he fell asleep too.

* * *

They slept too long and had to rush to get ready. It would take at least 20 minutes to get to the restaurant that Amy picked. "I feel a little guilty now," Punk said as he watched Liz get ready, "I did promise to show you around Chicago."

"Don't worry about it, we still have time. Besides, I thoroughly enjoyed all of your physical therapy sessions."

He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her forehead, "We don't have that much time, you are scheduled to go back to work next week."

Liz frowned, "You make it sound like I won't ever come back here."

"Aww, Lizzie, that's not how I meant it." They were both quiet for a few minutes until Punk spoke up, "Lizzie, this may be too soon and I don't want to freak you out or anything, but would you want to move in with me?"

Liz just grinned at him, she never really felt comfortable anywhere, but this place, this felt like home, she felt safe and comfortable. "Really? You really mean that?"

"Of course I do, I love you Liz and I want to fall asleep every night with you next to me, in my arms."

"That sounds like heaven. I would love to move in with you!" She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him hard and deep, resisting the urge to wrap her legs around his waist, he palmed her ass and whispered in her ear "You are so lucky we have plans tonight."

"We can always pick up right here when we get back," she winked at him and broke the embrace to finish getting her things together.


End file.
